THOSE applying to be teachers are reminded that they should not aim to be one just because times are bad, and that passion is a key factor used by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in picking the right candidate.

After 11 attempts, passing the Scholastic Assessment Test and topping the English Language Proficiency Test exam, I was relieved to receive a text message from MOE for me to go for a selection interview. I left the interview hopeful and excited about the possibilities of moulding young minds as an educator.

But my hope was short-lived as the same rejection letter came a month later.

I feel I have the passion, the requisite credentials, and the experience as a volunteer teacher to be an educator, although I do not have the paper qualifications.

It is intriguing that the MOE claims to have a 'three-step process' in measuring applicants with passion. My sense, garnered from applicants who, like myself, were inexplicably turned down, is that there are cookie-cutter standards set in stone.

Would the MOE employ an applicant with the following?

• Passion for children: The applicant has taught children informally through various community groups and Sunday school - mostly on a voluntary basis - as well as done relief teaching for many years in schools, simply because he loves children. In other words, he has hands- on experience.
• Passion for learning: The applicant has continually enhanced his pedagogical skills through non-MOE programmes, simply because he knows we live in a dynamic world and that education never stops.
• Passion for creativity: The applicant is an ardent fan of creative teaching methods and believes in developing the learner holistically.

By the way, I forgot to mention that the applicant (me) is in his 40s and had average results in his O levels.

Raymond Koh

This article was first published in The Straits Times.